CM’s aide questions predecessor’s claim

PESHAWAR: Adviser to Chief Minister on Finance Muzzammil Aslam on Saturday rejected the statement of the former caretaker finance minister who had claimed that the caretaker government had left around Rs100 billion in the provincial exchequer.

In a statement, he said that the profit of the Bank of Khyber for the entire year stood at Rs1.1 billion, questioning the claim of the caretaker finance minister that the profit of the Bank of Khyber was around Rs3 billion per annum. Posing a question, he asked from where did Rs100 billion come to the provincial exchequer.

Explaining his point, he said that even if the province received money at the end of the month, it was spent on the vary next month on the salary and pension of the government employees. He said that even if the province had Rs100 billion and it spent Rs55 billion on the salary and pension so how could the province have Rs100 billion in the first place.

He asked the former caretaker finance minister as to how much money they had received from the Centre under the head of the net hydel profit arrears and funds meant for ex-Fata. Why was the Sehat Sahulat Card programme suspended? he asked. He asked how much money was spent on the welfare of the common people. He said the incumbent PTI government released Rs5 billion for Sehat card, Rs10 billion for Ramazan package and Rs13 billion for the police.